Steps, Ladders, Stairs in Art. Volume 1

Sosnowska’s work generally falls into two categories: lines marking a shape in space, and deformed structures with emotional co

The “stair-tree” became a central motif for a number of artists who express a powerful and vital symbolism in their works. The American sculptor Lin Lisberger uses the form of an upward-rising structure as a metaphor for infinite possibilities that open up at the different stages of growing up and becoming a person. In Lisberger’s work, many variations of ladder structures, including the 2008 installation “High Journeys” (V1, p. 298) made of wood, have a launching platform, which correlates with the begi

“Ladders are one of the most fundamental architectural forms, suggesting movement through space and endless possibilities.”[12]

Rene Magritte, Forbidden literature, 1936, oil on canvas

Like any organism, a tree grows, changes and fades, and this in turn becomes the subject of close attention by the South Korean sculptor Myeongbeom Kim. His installation “Staircase” (V1, p. 305) was executed directly in the natural landscape, where the trunks of two trees co

The identification of the tree with the vital energy embedded within it is transformed into a metaphor for the creative flow in the painting of “The Truth about Comets” (V1, p. 304) by the American surrealist Dorothea Ta

“I like to see objects as living organisms, things that can come to life and surprise you with their behavior. My works are conceptual, not practical, they are tactile and I like them to tell a story that makes a point about an aspect of life.”[13]

In his street installation “The Playground Closes at Dusk” (V1, p. 318) (2011), four interactive objects are presented on high ladders, climbing on which the viewer can smell, hear, touch and see, following the author’s instructions. At the same time, the fifth part of the installation, “Memorabilia”, embodies human memory, which plays the role of the main repository of cause and effect relationships, emotions and impressions. The many small boxes at the top of the ladders symbolize a cloud of memories like those found in our own minds. For the artist the climb carried out by the viewer goes beyond the scope of physical effort and can be interpreted as a psychological journey to the deep levels of the subconscious. Aroused interest in introspection is translated as the main feature of the individual, which in this case is projected onto the ladder-object.

A similar visually constructed relationship between the installation and the viewer is emphasized by the work of the American artist Nick Clifford Simko in “Still Life with a Ladder” (V1, p. 215) (2012). The stepladder taken as a basis is identified with the body, assembled from objects sequentially placed on the steps, such as a classic plaster head, flowers, a phallic figure and boots, which in general is built into a portrait. The addition of shoes makes the generalized nature of the comparison of the stairs with the figure of a person more personal, introducing an everyday detail of identification. An even more personalized image endowed with psychological characteristics is created in the installation of the Spanish photographer Chema Madoz in “Disabled Ladder” (2003). A crutch-based design loses its stability and integrity, which creates a convincing emotionally charged focus on physical features. This emphasizes the clarity of comparing the ladder with a living organism that is capable of experiencing suffering and pain.

“Yes, the main thing in our life is stairs, because in the end any road is the same staircase, only at the begi